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What Happens to the Children of Addicts?

Addiction is a disease that impacts more than just the addict alone. The disease of addiction can impact family members, including children of addicts. Whether a child has directly been affected by their parent’s addiction or has suffered by not being able to spend the time they crave with their parent, it’s more than noticeable just how much a child of an addict is affected by their parent’s addiction.

Understanding Addiction

Many children may feel abandoned or unloved because their parent spends more time thinking about and using substances instead of caring for them. At any age, it can be extremely difficult for a child of an addict to understand what is actually going on with their parent. The reality is that addiction is not a choice but rather an illness in which the individual begins using drugs compulsively and obsessively but is unable to stop in spite of negative consequences. When addicts use a drug for the first time, they no longer have the power of choice to discontinue. The mental and physical obsession to use becomes so strong that willpower is not enough to prevent them from using again. When addicts have children, it can seem like they are choosing a life of drugs when in reality their addiction has consumed them. This is why addiction treatment is vital.

How Addiction Impacts the Whole Family

When children of addicts are directly or indirectly exposed to their parent’s behavior and use, it can result in anger, frustration, sadness, and resentment. It could end up causing the child to act out in a number of ways, including using substances like their parent. According to Current Drug Abuse Reviews listed on the National Center for Biotechnology Information, children who have parents that are addicted to drugs are at “risk for negative outcomes.” It was also mentioned that children of addicts appear to suffer from more anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, as well as aggression and disobedience, than other children whose parents are not addicted to drugs and alcohol. Aside from these types of effects, it’s not uncommon for children of addicts to wonder why their parent doesn’t spend more time with them or why they only get to see their parents briefly or not at all. It can be difficult for children of all ages to understand what is happening to their parent when they are in active addiction.

Drug Addiction Treatment

Fortunately, there is drug addiction treatment available. Many addicts do have children, and though it may be difficult to leave them to go to a medical detox and drug rehab center, it’s going to benefit everybody in the long run when they recover. An addiction treatment center can help an addicted parent get their life back, not only for their child but also for themselves so that they can be the person and parent they were meant to be before the substances took over their life.

Are you suffering from an addiction to drugs and alcohol, or is your parent struggling in active addiction? The Watershed Addiction Treatment Programs is here to help by providing state-of-the-art addiction treatment, beginning with a medical detoxification and drug rehab program. You can recover, and The Watershed can help you every step of the way. Call The Watershed today.